Friendship Journey
by MewxRetasu
Summary: Sakura and Ino's bumpy journey through a friendship, and how they break it, compete, and make up again in the end.


**A/N: Woo. Another weird, slightly depressing thing from MewRet. -- I need to update "I Believe In Magic?" soon... ennhh... but I'm too lazy.. Anyway, read and enjoy, if you enjoy... this sort of thing... ;**

"We're rivals now, we always will, we always will be." she stated as coldly as she could manage while holding back tears.

Did her first inspiration, her first confidence-building, real, trusting friend know what was running through her mind? Did she know? Were her eyes betraying the terror, the regret, the nervousness?

Ominous silence followed.

xXxXx

"We're rivals now, we always will, we always will be," were the words that fell from the girl's lips.

Her own lips were dark and dry, and she was quite sure they appeared pale and trembly; she thought it must have been quite a contrast to her usually bright countenance.

Where was the other girl? That other girl she was used to seeing other than this cold creature. The girl she had helped, the girl she had played with on both rainy and sunny afternoons, the girl she had shared so many innocent secrets with. She wanted to laugh and play with that girl again, be young and carefree again.

She was sure it wouldn't be possible.

xXxXx

The first day of ninja academy arrives, and as she walks down the road she sees her past friend jauntily walking out the door, her light hair bouncing cheerfully in its ponytail.

"Ohayo," she greets her nervously. Will she answer?

"...Ohayo," Ino responds coolly.

Then, without noticing, they walk together. She has to get ahead. Her pace speeds up. Ino glares at her and speeds up.

Ino's in the lead. She's in the lead. Now Ino is again-- now she is--

Now they are fairly running as if in a race for their lives, and amazed bystanders are sure their eyes are going bad when they see the spectacle: two teenage girls running so fast they leave a cloud of dust behind them.

xXxXx

They have both passed the Academy now, and their rivalry is still going strong, she notices. Her beautiful friend is hoping, hoping, hoping that she will make it onto the same team as their dear Sasuke-kun, and she herself is hoping, hoping, hoping too.

Dreams will fade away, luck can change hands; hope will die soon enough.

"Team 7," the voice calls as if from a faraway land--

Oh, please let her be on the same team as Sasuke-kun... and maybe Sakura-chan too. If they're on the same team they _will_ have to make up sometime, right?...

"Haruno Sakura,"

_Oh, please let me be called!.._

"Uchiha Sasuke;"

_Yes, yes! Only one more, please, PLEASE let it be me..._

"and Uzumaki Naruto."

_Boo_s and _hahaha_s escape the mouths of many people.

Ino feels like she is dying inside. She wants to. Her one chance, for a long time, to reconcile with good sound reason behinder her, has been left behind.

"Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji."

Sigh.

xXxXx

It's a good while later and Sakura is praying, praying, that she will be put against someone she can beat.

"Haruno Sakura vs Yamanaka Ino" are the words written on the screen.

A- aahh! She is shocked.

But she must take it up with determination-- she must take up the challenge or she will disappoint her team-- namely Sasuke-kun-- and herself.

xXxXx

Ino battles at her very best. Oh, but her opponent-- she is strong. That little girl who used to be so weak has become a strong young woman.

OH! That hurt! A-- ah, she can't reach her. She must reach her, she must--

She finally uses her Mind Possession technique, finally, and then she sees-- dear goodness! Inner Sakura pounces, yells, and frightens Ino out of Sakura's mind, where the two girls are too exhausted to do anything but slump down.

xXxXx

It was a very tired Sakura that smirked as realistically as she could at Ino.

"So, not bad. Not bad, forehead girl," Ino pants out.

"Not bad yourself, Ino-pig," she returns as casually as she can under the circumstances.

Their eyes meet for a second, and they know, they just know, that the other wants it too. They both want to make up and be friends.

They'll try it soon.

**A/N: Yay. I finished. Cheers. R&R, please. And no flames or anything of the sort insisting "Ino e is a -insert explicit word here-!!! its all her FULT for making their fridship BADD and SAKURA's BETTER" [yes, I did recreate the terrible grammar. Likewise with the "It's all Sakura's fault, Ino's bad, blah blah blah," I WROTE THIS and THEY DID MAKE UP. ...Okay? ;**


End file.
